RISK IT ALL
Poster for HIGH TIDE.
HIGH TIDE
Month: December 2012
#9601 Poster
Making A Difference 2012: Behind The Scenes Preview
SOLO QUEDAN PALABRAS- By: Leo Machado
Making A Difference 2012
Live from The Grand Annex in San Pedro, indie artist Leo Machado performs Solo Quedan Palabras.
Leo Machado- Solo Quedan Palabras from Rodrigo Roque IV on Vimeo.
READY-Teaser
As my Wife is approaching her due date, I capture the last weeks until the little man is here. “Ready” is a short film on the journey of two people about to embark on life’s greatest gift.
READY- Teaser from Rodrigo Roque IV on Vimeo.
The Dark Knight Rises Review
It’s been half a year since the caped crusader better known as Batman, stepped foot onto the big screen. Since then, I have been waiting for the next installment like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Christopher Nolan released the sequel of The Dark Knight this past Summer, and delivered another box office hit. The Dark Knight Rises was bigger and broader, which was filmed in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, New york, England, Scotland, and India. From a story standpoint I’m viewing this film as a sequel to an incredible trilogy, not as the film itself. What I appreciated from Nolan was that his number one priority was to tell a story. Not just about Batman, but of Bruce Wayne. Many people criticized him for not having more Batman in TDKR, it was a bold move. However, it was the right choice, I enjoyed this film equally from the last two. Each film sets a different tone and mood. Each film had there epic moment, and TDKR made me care for Bruce Wayne. I was cheering for Bruce when he attempted to climb the pit. Nolan increased the ante and the stakes were higher for TDKR.
This film was incredible, can’t say I grew old with these films because I kept feeling nostalgic everything the score would hit. I would like to point out Hans Zimmer and his amazing job on the Batman trilogy. The score was flawless, can not say enough about the guy, simply amazing. 
Nolan made TDKR knowing he had to increase the stage, and he did. The Prologue which introduced Bane was amazing with the whole plane hijacking, creative on his part. What I like about this film was how it was approached. Nolan has a great mind and he wanted every possible shot in IMAX. I was relieved it wasn’t shot in 3-D, it just ruins the movie experience for me, personally. Making this his “last” Batman film you really have to appreciate what the man did. He evolved storytelling and revolutionized the Batman Universe. Whoever takes over the Batman story, The Dark Knight trilogy sets a damn good foundation on how it should be. Luckily Batman & Robin was released when I was a kid and I certainly didn’t take that movie seriously,and I was only 13. If anything writer David Goyer new how to tell a Batman story, he brought out that little kid in me that came home from school ate his dinner and sat in his couch ready to be entertained by my favorite cartoon to date, Batman: The Animated Series. That’s what these three films were to me, a live action version of my childhood. The ending of this epic sequel was everything I could ask for, minus the Talia death scene and the killing off of Bane(Bane should have had an epic death). 
The cast was superb of course, but they added more than needed, for example Burn Gorman, who played Stryver and Ben Mendelsohn as Daggett. Anne Hathaway was amazing, she proved me wrong big time. I was those skeptical of her able to play as CatWoman, but she knocked it out of the park. Her guilty innocnet persona was very good, she made a very good CatWoman, but Michelle Pfeiffer will always be sexier. Tom Hardy was the most impressive he completely transformed his persona and how he became Bane was amazing. Yes his voice was an issue, but that wasn’t his fault, if you ever see the special features, Christian Bale talks about how Hardy came in and through in that accent we hear in Bane. That was impressive how he could just change his voice like that, not to mention his eye movement. When he had a close up shot of his eyes, it was like you knew what he was saying despite the mask. Very good acting by Tom Hardy. If anything was bad, I would have to say the 3rd act had some issues. Like I mentioned before Bane was such a good character that he deserved to go out at least with something to talk about, not just a blast from the Batpod, and it wasn’t even Batman who “killed” him. That’s really the only thing I had an issue with. The cinematography was amazing, thanks to Wally Pfister for that. The action scenes were ok, nothing to crazy, but I did love some Bane killings. When I look at films, I first look at the location and how it creates a vibe in the shot being taken. Everything was on point and the first Bane vs Batman scene was intense. I loved how they created Bane’s layer almost similar to the Bat-cave, but more serious and intimidating. This has been an extraordinary ride and this will definitely be a classic in my book. TDKR is the sequel to a legend and a childhood hero. The story of Bruce Wayne was done right, and I couldn’t have written it better myself. Until the next chapter. RISE. 
Good Forever
F’N UP
This is a teaser poster for my new project called “F’N UP”. It is a short comedy/thriller…the final stages of writing are almost done. Should be some time early next year.
Making A Difference: December 2, 2012
Making A Difference 2012
Live from The Grand Annex in San Pedro, LA artist Allen Arambula performs Wonderwall. Edited and shot by Rodrigo Roque IV.
Allen Arambula- Wonderwall Cover from Rodrigo Roque IV on Vimeo.
Leo Machado- Solo Quedan Palabras from Rodrigo Roque IV on Vimeo.
This past weekend I attended an exciting event called Making A Difference 2012,, which was a fundraiser for single mother’s and less privileged members of the greater Los Angeles area. The event was hosted by Harbor Interfaith Services, a non profit organization. The mission of Harbor Interfaith is to “Empower the homeless and working poor to achieve self-sufficiency by providing support services including shelter, transitional housing, food, job placement, advocacy, childcare, education and life-skills training.” They service San Pedro, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Lomita, Torrance, Wilmington and Long Beach. They are doing great things in our communities and I was glad to help out with the videography. The event also had Leo Machado and Allen Arambula who are Rock artists from the L.A. area, which gave a great performance, as you can see from the videos. Overall the evening was a good experience to meet new people and give a hand for a good cause.
For more information about Harbor Interfaith Services and how you can help visit their website http://www.harborinterfaith.org
Allen Arambula info: Leo Machado info:
Twitter: @Allenaramusichttp Leomachado.info
AllenArambula.com Twitter: @Leomachadomusic
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Review
Before I get started I want to state that before watching this film I had never seen the Swedish version(Original). Going into David Fincher’s film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo I did not know what the film was about, all I knew was that Daniel Craig, who played supporting actor Mikael, was a journalist caught in a scandal. Well after finally watching it, I really was impressed by the lead actress Rooney Mara(Lisbeth). Fincher always gets those amazing performances from his actresses. Lisbeth reminded me of Marla Singer’s character in Fight Club. Coincidentally directed my Mr. Fincher as well. So Mikael is taken to Hedestad which I believe is a fictional town in Sweden. Mikael is called upon to investigate the murder of Henrik Vanger’s(Christopher Plummer) niece, Harriet Vanger, who disappeared from the island over 40 years ago.
The first half of the film both Lisbeth and Mikael have separate scenes from each other until mid-point they literally plow into each other. The film has a steady pace and I really enjoyed not getting rushed into the story. This film was a bit long, but was justice for the story, and that goes along way. For example The Dark Knight Rises, which in the 3rd act kind of felt squished and rushed. However, The Girl With The Dragon was exceptional and intense. As a fan of crime investigations and mystery this is a must see if your a fan of it as well. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the unique storytelling in the scene where Vanger is describing on what exactly happened the day Harriet disappeared. At that point I was glued, and was ready for the ride. Personally I enjoyed this film and the twist at the end was very intense. However, I really didn’t like the dramatic closure to the film, it could have been better. 3 out of 4, and I will be watching the Swedish version, from what I hear it’s a bit better. Good film, I recommend it, but keep the kids in their rooms, and you might want to turn the volume down in a couple scenes also. The dragon is unleashed more than a few times.
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